Wend Your Way to the Waterway

A bar with a view, Waterway Tavern in the Clubhouse at Brick Landing brings a new neighborhood watering hole to Ocean Isle Beach.

Brittany Bowers, the petite publican who runs the brand-new Waterway Tavern located a little off the beaten path in the Clubhouse at Brick Landing, took a rather circuitous route to finally arrive at the place where her dream of working for herself begins.

From her hometown of Sunbury, Ohio (just 627 miles from OIB) thence to Goodyear, Arizona (where she married husband, Andy) and thence to OIB (a trip of over 2,250 miles) to make their new home, Brittany’s journey involved extensive time at the serving end of the bar business.

She gained invaluable experience along the way and became a master mixologist and somewhat of a cicerone. Those skills allowed the 43-year-old to gain employment in her new hometown by working in various bars and eateries.

Her last job saw her pouring beers and mixing fabulous cocktails at OIB’s highly popular No Name Lounge, and she brought along a faithful following wherever she worked. Even the owners of No Name showed up to support her at her grand opening.

Highly self-motivated, she landed a job as the business manager at the Brick Landing Golf Course. And that gig sparked her dream.

There was a cozy little pub just off the event space that was only being used for those events she booked. Realizing its potential, she worked with the management of Brick Landing and secured a lease to run the pub as her own business. So, instead of it just being used for events, it has become open to the public.

And the public, it seems, has taken notice. Bowers held a soft opening during the first week in May for invited guests, and while they all showed up, so did some who were not on the guest list. The crowd swelled to about 50, probably twice the number invited. I have a theory as to why that happened, which I’ll discuss later.

But her years of working behind a bar and dealing with a wide range of customers paid dividends as she handled the overflow expertly — and without ruffling anyone’s feathers.

Apparently, all those feathers returned for her grand opening on May 6, because when Father Dave, the Missus and I walked in, the decibel level of good-time chatter and laughter wafted all the way down to the first-floor entrance.

We followed the din to the second floor and walked into Bowers’ pub, where some 40 folks were enjoying the space and the special ambience. Moreover, as some left, they were replaced by newcomers.

It’s really a neat little place to quaff, given that it sits high above the ICW, which offers some great, relaxing views. There’s one “Lovers’ Window” seat — capacity two — where those so inclined can canoodle.

Despite my entreaties, the Missus did not want to lose her seat at the bar to investigate, so Father Dave and I had to explore the space, sans the canoodling.

The fascinating 3-D artwork on the walls was provided by local artist and graphic designer Aimee Knipper, who was recently “downsized” out of her day job (after a buyout) after 22 years with her company.

Knipper and Bowers became friendly, and nearby resident Knipper may have stumbled upon an entirely new career. She’ll do well based on her personality alone.

In nice weather, guests can bring their drinks outside to soak in the beauty of what a waterside golf course can provide — and to canoodle, if so inclined.

But what drinks will they bring out there? Well, certainly various quality wines are available (Bowers knows what her customers like), and there are currently four draft beer taps. They are augmented by a sizable number of canned offerings.

The draft selections were carefully chosen using Bowers’ knowledge of what sells the most down here, but her canned offerings are also quite good.

She insisted that I have one of her favorite Cincinnati, Ohio, beers — an American IPA called Rhinegeist Truth — and I can see why it was one of her faves.

But she also offers Yuengling, Michelob Ultra, Miller Lite, Landshark, a Roasted Porter and an IPA from Raleigh Brewing, an IPA from Bill’s Brewing in ILM called Native Coastal, and an IPA from Birdsong called Hazy Sexy Cool.

That Father Dave insisted the beer was named after his outstanding personal traits was one reason I didn’t spend too much time over by the Lovers’ Window with him.

The Waterway Tavern is a place for friends to congregate, and I’m sure it will do its duty as a 19th Hole for those who use the Brick Landing links.

I was also honored to be a part of the official “christening” of The Waterway Tavern by assisting Sue Wycoff, the Grande Dame of OIB, in dropping her drink for the first “cleanup in aisle 5” moment at the pub.

And here’s my theory as to why the place is packed, and why it’s likely to stay that way. There are many folks who live in the area near the golf course, such as Knipper and her friend Robin (who happens to be the mother of Arden, a popular local performer) who hail from nearby neighborhoods.

If they wanted a place to call their own in the past, it would necessitate a drive either into OIB or Shallotte proper, because as pretty as the area is, it lacked a public place to quaff and converse.

No longer. The Waterway Tavern is now open.

To find it, head to the clubhouse and listen for the din.

WANT TO GO?
Waterway Tavern
1882 Goose Creek Road SW, Ocean Isle BeachSecond floor of the Clubhouse at Brick Landing
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